Jacob&#39;s ladder



May 2; 1944.

H. P. HOPP :1- AL JACOBS LADDER Filed Dec. 22; 1942 INVENTO RS. HAQOLD R Hopp A190 AU/VZELMAM Patented May 2, 1944 Kunzelman, Mount Vernon, N. Y., assignors to H. K. Metal Craft Manufacturing 00., New

York, N. Y.

Application December 22, 1942, Serial No. 469,794

Claims.

The present invention relates to ladders and more particularly it pertains to flexible ladders of the so-called chain type.

It has been a common practice heretofore to construct such ladders entirely of metal and in '5 some instances rungs or steps structed from wood.

However, the second mentioned type has not been entirely satisfactory due particularlylto the have been condifficulty in perfecting adequate means for securing the ends of wooden rungs to the Stiles which are generally in the form of metal chains.

It is one object of the present invention to pro vide a novel means for securing rigid rungs to flexible metal chain stiles in flexible ladder construction.

It is another object of the invention to provide aconstruction which is simple and economical tomanufacture and which presents no difliculties of assembly.

aA'Jfeature of the invention resides-in a novel construction wherein the fastening means between the ladder rungs and the stiles provides a rigid connection entirely independent of the end grain" of the rung when-the rung is formed from wood." 7

Another feature of the invention resides in a construction by means of which the ends of a wooden rung are completely enclosed for protec:

tion from the weather and other deteriorating 80 elements.

Still anotherv feature of the invention resides in a construction in which rivets in lieu of screws may be employed thus at all times insuring greater rigidity in the fastenings than is possible where screws'are employed. I

Other features of the invention relate to certainnovel and'improved constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts hereinafter de scribed and particularly pointed-out in the claims 4 the advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention in its preferred form and the-following de- 45 1 tailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawing, Figure l is a view in elevation partly broken larged scale and partly broken away, the view being taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale and partly broken away, the view being taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and;

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view illustrating the construction of one of the caps employed upon the ends of the rungs. Referring to the drawing by reference character, I0 designates a ladder rung, ll designates the ladder stiles, and I2 designates the spacing ears which serve to space the rungs from a ships side, a wall, or the like, against which the ladder may be hung.

The rungs I!) are preferably formed from wood and are herein illustrated as of circular crosssectional form and of uniform diameter throughout their length. It is to be understood, however, that other cross-sectional shapes or forms may be employed so long as the diameter or transverse dimension is constant throughout the length of the rung.

The stiles H are formed from suitable lengths of chain, the links l3 of which are preferably of the type herein illustrated.

The spacing ears l2 are herein illustrated as formed from a strip of metal which is bent as at I4 to divide the strip into a main body portion l 5 and two angularly extending legs l6 which in turn are bent as at I! to provide rung engaging end extensions l 8.

Received by and embracing each end of each rung, there is a rigid member preferably in the form of a cap I!) the inner contour of which pref erably conforms to the-outer contour of the end of the rung and the cap is of such inner dimension as to snugly receive the end of the rung.

One of these caps is illustratedin Figure 5 and by reference to said figure, it will be noted that the cap has a main body portion 20, defined by an annular flange 2|.

In its main body portion 20, the cap is formed with a centrally disposed opening 22 which is preferably circular in form and upon each of away illustrating two rungs of a chain ladder to constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a view in elevation partly broken away and taken at right angles to Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on an en- 66 two opposite sides of the opening 22, there is an elongated slot 23. These slots 23 are preferably diametrically opposite each other and disposed in the body portion 29 of the cap as illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawing.

The cap !9 is secured upon the end of a rung It] by means of a rivet'24 which passes entirely through an opening 40 in the rung l0 and tion by which the caps I9 are secured to the ladder stiles II and this construction will now be described.

The main body portion l5 of the spacing ear I2 is formed with two parallel channels 25, the open sides of which are disposed inwardly of, the spacing ear and these channels 26 receive the two parallel sides of one of the links of the stile as best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawing.

Positioned between these two channels 26 there is a rivet 21 which also passes through the central opening 22 in the body portion of the cap l9 and which serves thereby to secure the cap l9 rigidly to the main body portion of the spacing ear.

Two tongues 28 are struck from the main body portion l5 of the ear l2 and these tongues are passed through their respective elongated openings 23 in the cap l9 after which they are bent as at 29 into engagement with the inner face of the body portion 26 of the cap 19.

The end extensions 18 are formed with openings 30 and the rung is provided with an opening the rivet 2'! is upset and the tongues 28 bent into engagement with the inner face of the main body portion of the cap, thus securing the cap, the ear and the stile rigidly together.

The end of the rung is next positioned in the cap with the openings in registration with the opening 40 in the rung IE! after which the rivet 24 is passed through said openings and upset to secure the cap l9 to the rung. The end extensions it! of the ear are next brought into engagement with the rung with openings 3i! in registration with the opening 3| through the rung after which the rivet 32 is positioned and upset to secure the end extensions l8 to the rung.

By reference to Figure 4 of the drawing, it will be noted that the two rivets 24 and 32 pass through the rung H] at right angles to each other at spaced points and that in the attachment of the rung to the stiles no fastenings enter the end grain of the stile.

Furthermore, in addition to providing a rigid connection between the stile, the spacing ear and the rung, the construction provides a connection possessed of great strength without weakening of the rung or other parts.

While in the present illustration of the invention, we have shown and described cap members such as 19 carried by the ends of the rung, it is to be understood that, while this is our preferred construction, the invention is not to be limited thereto since in lieu of such caps, rigid straps which embrace the ends of the rungs may other types of ears, such for example, as that illustrated in Patent No. 2,296,441, issued September 22, 1942, could be employed or by the mere substitution of a plate formed with channels 26 to receive the stile links, spacing ears could readily be dispensed with.

Therefore, the present embodiment of the invention is to be considered merely illustrative and its scope determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

1. In a flexible ladder in combination, a rigid rung, a rigid member carried by and embracing each end of said rung, means for securing the rigid members to their respective ends of the rung, side stiles comprising chains, the sides of the links of which are spaced from each other, means for securing the side stiles to their respective rigid members upon the ends of the rung, said means comprising a clamping member having spaced channels to receive the opposite sides of one of the links of the side stile, a fastening element passing through the clamping member and the rigid member carried by the rung at a point between the sides of the link to secure the clamping member to the rigid member carried by the rung in position to clamp the chain between the clamping member and the rigid member carried by the rung, and means independentof said fastening element for securing the clamping member to the rigid member of the rung.

2. In a flexible ladder in combination, a rigid rung, a rigid member carried by and embracing each end of said rung, means for securing the rigid members to their respective ends of the rung, side stiles comprising chains, the sides of the links of which are spaced fro-m each other, means for securing the side stiles to their respective rigid members upon the ends of the rung, said means comprising a clamping member having spaced channels to receive the opposite sides of one of the links of the side stile, means passing through the clamping member and the rigid means comprising deformed tongues struck from. I

the clamping member and extending through openings in the rigid member carried by the rung.

3. In a chain ladder in combination, a rigid rung, a cap member carried by each end of the rung, chain side stiles for connecting a plurality of said rungs together, a spacing ear carried by each end of each of the rungs, means for securing said rungs to the side stiles, said means comprising spaced channels in the spacing ear for reception of one of the links of a side stile, means for securing said spacing ear to its respective cap. member to clamp the side stile between the spacing ear and the cap member, means for securing the cap member to the end of the rung and means for securing the ear to the rung.

- 4. In a chain ladder in combination, a rigid rung, a cap member carried by each end of the rung, chain side stiles for connecting a plurality of said rungs together, a spacing ear carried by each end of the rungs, means for securing said rungs to the side stiles, said means comprising spaced channels in the spacing ear for reception of opposite sides of one of the links of a side stile, means passing through the spacing ear and the cap member between the opposite sides of the clamped link of the side stile, separate means carried by the spacing ear and passing through openings in the cap member for securing the spacing ear to the cap member with the link of the side stile clamped between the two, and means for securing the cap member to the rung.

5. In a chain ladder in combination, a rigid rung, a cap member carried by each end of the rung, chain side stiles for connecting a plurality of said rungs together, a spacing ear carried by each end of the rung, means for securing said member into engagement with the inner face of the closed end thereof, and means for securing the cap member to the rung.

HAROLD P. HOPP. EDWARD KUNZEIMAN. 

